Hyuuga and Uchiha, what can go wrong?
by Thickle
Summary: ...Everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

 **Note:** Words may be missing; Fanfic likes to be a bitch.

 **Obligational Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, blah.**

* * *

"I don't get paid enough for this," Iruka complained with a groan of exasperation, futilely attempting to pry one of the girls off one another. He succeeded, only to be pushed back as another pair rushed into the cat-fight.

Sasuke Uchiha, twelve year old heartthrob and resident badass, watched in a detached demeanour as the idiots around him shrieked and fought. He gazed with boredom at one of the girls who wasn't crowding around him and clawing at everything like a pack of ravage dogs, simply avoid the chaos and look down at her lap, crestfallen expression on her round face.

"I didn't peek up your skirt Sakura, believe me!" His momentary interest broke as Naruto, the class goof, squealed, bursting into a leap over the girl-brawl happening in the middle of the classroom as the pink petal-haired Kunoichi lunged at him. "You're such a _liar_ , I saw you looking!"

Sasuke blinked.

That girl he'd been staring at before had moved, shuffling out of the way as several of the desks went zooming in the air, then plummeting with a mighty crash. He frowned, if only his moment of rare respite lasted longer since she then decided it was a prudent move to stand next to him.

Did he like that? No. Was he going to tell her off?

No.

He wouldn't waste precious words.

Not on a _Hyuuga_.

Naruto soon returned to his other side, panting as he bent over at the knees, a blooming red forming along his tanned jaw. "Sakura sure hits hard for such a small girl, but she is so cute when she gets mad!" he said, presumably to him (as if he cared), his sharp canines displayed as he grinned widely.

"Hn."

"You unfeeling bastard!"

The girl on his other side peeked around him, conveniently using _him_ as a hiding post, blushing in captivation at the spiky haired moron; as his attention (so short it was) diverted once again.

Deciding that they were encroaching on his personal space long enough, he snagged the back of Naruto's orange jacket-, who was now guffawing at the throng of females- and flung him into the group of crazed lunatics, effectively reducing the over-crowded space by one less body.

The Hyuuga gasped and raised a hand to her lips, brows puckered in concern, and solely focused on Naruto being used as a punching bag by the rest of the girls.

So immersed he was in observing her reaction, that he did not instantly sense the pile of struggling bodies falling towards him like a toppled tower. He only knew that those freaky eyes of hers had turned to look at his, widened and a pale hand had snatched the front of his black shirt and _pulled_.

They went crashing to the floor, with cries of "My baby Sasuke!", "Oh no Sasuke's hurt!", "Haha clumsy Sasuke!" (Naruto, beaten on the ground had the boldness to laugh at him despite his pitiful pounding) following their descent.

His black eyes blinked, head splitting with pain and staring at the dull white ceiling greeting him, before being blocked by a head of dark hair; worried eyes and pale cheeks.

"Are you alright?" said the pleasingly soft voice, her long locks tickling his nose.

"…"

The Hyuuga was soon shoed away by their Sensei, Iruka, who'd finally been able to squash down the commotion. His vapid fan-girls seizing this opportunity converged around him as their teacher turned his back and dotted on him with overbearing closeness as he slowly sat back up. He was left watching curiously and confused as the girl went to check on Naruto, helping him up with a flutter of trembling limbs.

Sasuke was in too far of a trance of being star-struck to get mad at the arms clinging onto him.

* * *

Sasuke was first and foremost an Uchiha.

This meant that his pride was not a thing to be trifled with.

Hence forth, when his ego had been bruised by that Hyuuga pulling that _stunt_ yesterday he had appropriately sulked through the rest of that day's evening.

How _dare_ she, go ahead and save him with such common humility then brush it all off for that spiky haired pea brain!

 _He'd show her._

The next morning, he was steadfast in keeping an eye out for the weird eyed Hyuuga and undermining her. To undertake this properly, Sasuke went and seated himself right next to her, paying no attention to the questioning gazes of his fellow classmates.

Iruka-sensei paid the unlikely seatmates consideration of whole of three seconds before deeming the change beyond his interest.

"Your name, Hyuuga?" he demanded bluntly, looking down his nose at her.

She squeaked cutely, "It's Hinata Hyuuga?" _Oh_ , yeah, he totally knew that.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"I er, know that, we've been classmates for years..."

He interrupted her shaky speech, "I will be your seating partner from now on, any objections?"

"Uh-"

"Good."

Hinata deflated with a murmur of defeat. For clarity's sake she queried him, but he stubbornly denied her an answer. So she was left pondering on this unforeseen encounter, if she could call it that; beyond perplexed to what he wished to achieve.

Additionally, since her day was not going as planned, her unique eyes did not miss the blazes of bitter jealously burning a path in her direction by most of her female peers in the room. Hinata ducked her head as her ears and neck heated with resentful embarrassment.

Geez, it's not like she _asked_ him to sit by her.

"You're slumping too much in your seat," Sasuke hit the back of her chair with an open palm, making her straighten in surprise, "That's better."

"Hmm." The Uchiha hummed with a bored countenance, stretching his legs in front of him and folding his arms.

As the courage to ask him again what he thought he was doing escaped her, she switched her attention instead, from the intimidating boy at her side to the front of the classroom. Content to ignore him and listen to Iruka-sensei as he began his lesson _. 'He'll go away soon enough.'_ she reasoned.

Her eyes landed on Naruto as he arrived, heart picking up a notch as he chortled in that _loveable_ way of his...

Another pair of eyes followed her gaze, frowning at her object of affections.

* * *

 **Note: This story will be diverging from Canon-events and has since been revamped the last time I've updated this story. I hope you all enjoy and leave me plentiful reviews, thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga doesn't deal with drama, her social life is barren and she is all but a forgettable wallflower in the world of Shinobi. The one; who went unnoticed and was the go-to for people to vent for an empathetic ear when she _was_ , because- _you know_ \- she just didn't talk that much.

So why was it, excluding matters of emotions and the heart, that this _boy_ had decided she'd garnered enough interest for him to slog her around like his personal pet? Clammy thumbs twiddling, her breathing altered between fast and slow as Sasuke forcefully included her in this…argument.

"I said," the pale hand around her elbow tugged her closer, "That she will be one of my partners in whatever squad I am placed in." The grip didn't lessen its hold and instead gripped her with incredible strength as she feebly tried to shake it off. "You _will_ make it happen."

"Sasuke!" She squeaked, flushing at the boy's possessiveness. It unnerved her how greatly he'd _stuck_ close to her over the past five days. To attract such attention from him seemingly out of the blue freaked her out. He was mostly unresponsive verbally, but she was aware of his heated gaze on her person. Fortunately, he was only this way during class and not outside of the academy, where his fixation would have begun causing her anxiety to spike. Due to this, she didn't have the heart to ask him to bugger off, since he really wasn't doing anything wrong other than causing her some discomfort that could easily be rectified.

However, this behaviour was beyond unacceptable.

"The Hyuuga will be on my team," Sasuke demanded, wrapping an arm around her waist when she tried wriggling away.

Internally he was experiencing a flurry of satisfaction and confusing male pride having her close to him. The more he spent time with her, the more he came to appreciate her. She was like a fresh breath of air, filling his lungs with icy coolness that rejuvenated his mind. She was quiet, but not meek. It aggravated him how much he respected her presence and how little she paid attention to him in return. The other females weren't like her, she was so different and he didn't know how to remedy his hurt ego. Her absence of devotion to him unlike her peers captivated him beyond measure despite how much it irritated him.

It was becoming a little too much. He felt mushy, disgustingly so, and was going to uncover this puzzle of a girl until he was gratified, by any means necessary. So, when Iruka Sensei announced the arrangement of cells, so close it was to the end of their education, he had rushed forward to secure a spot for her by his side, though he ignored his pragmatically brain telling him otherwise that it wasn't how things worked.

"Sasuke," Iruka started, nervously scratching at the scar across his nose at the stubborn boy in front of him, "Teams are assembled based on strengths and weaknesses of each individual person to balance the squad. We went over this last semester," The boy had a penchant to growl at him, it was like watching a puppy yap after getting its toy taken away, "If you were allowed to pick your own team mates…" he continued despite the withering glare from the young Uchiha and sighed. "I'll lay it out simply. A cell cannot succeed if the whole structure of said team is liable to crumble at any time." That should do it.

"You are saying that you underestimate the abilities of your students?" Perhaps not.

Iruka withheld banging his head against the desk, "You misunderstand me Sasuke," he stamped the papers in front of him, "Imagine your cell as the structure of a house. If the beams supporting this hypothetical house are ill-matched, too short or too long, then the house will not be able to stand." Ofcourse in this scenario, the beams represented the three individual Genins.

' _What an idiotic analogy,'_ Sasuke thought to himself, "The ' _beams'_ as you so call them can grow and strengthen with time," he argued, unwilling to back down. Was it _so_ hard to grant him the girl? He wasn't asking for much.

"As Genin we are placed together to grow strong, so we make a stronger house instead of an unfair placement altogether." The Hyuuga piped up beside him. His nostrils flared. Now she decides to include her input?

"Exactly." Iruka nodded at her.

Sasuke released her, gritting his teeth, damn Hyuuga, "Can it not be arranged?" he hissed.

"Did you ask what Hinata wants?" His teacher steered the topic smoothly.

"No..."

"Hinata," he regarded her warmly, "Would you like to be his partner, support him in the field and fight as comrades, at your own expense and desire?"

With both of their attention on her, she squirmed uncomfortably. "I well…" she mumbled, "It doesn't matter what I want but if I had the choice I don't exactly...well that is to say..Uh..."

Sasuke glowered at her, disappointed.

"You will make a fine Shinobi yet, Hinata," she preened under his compliment.

"Thank you."

"Just put her on my team!" Sasuke who was not yet to be undone, interjected loudly.

"Silly boy," Iruka muttered to himself, "Hinata doesn't sound too eager to join your team and regardless, It will not be happening Sasuke. If you want to plead your case, do so to the Hokage and Council, because I will not go against regulations," he said sternly.

Like that was ever happening, they'd just brush him off. Those pompous bastards only cared about politics and money.

Sasuke snarled at him in anger and frustration before turning around and stomping away, then as if he'd forgotten something he walked back to the silent Hyuuga and dragged her with him. Iruka watched them curiously; the boy seemed to be fairly attached to the girl. However Hinata herself looked to be out of place, perhaps she didn't know how to let Sasuke off easily? Shaking his head, Iruka made a small note at the back of his mind to keep a careful eye on them, just in case.

"Im not sure why you want me as a teammate, Sasuke..." she broached curiously as they returned to their seats.

He blinked, "Don't flatter yourself," he scoffed, roughly grabbing her hands, "You have fast reflexes and a steady hand, I only want to be paired off with competent Nin." He dropped them.

How could she not feel warm all over when he talked to her _like that_? Sure he was gruff around the edges, but Sasuke was a coming out as a total sweetheart. She wanted to _giggle._

"Oh." She managed.

" _Beams_ … bloody infuriating teacher," he murmured to himself as he turned in his seat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

Hinata cautiously sat down on her chair and slowly eased it further away from the brooding black haired Uchiha, the floorboards screeching in protest as she did so. Her effort didn't extend too much, considering their desks were glued together but she took what she could get, and if that meant a few spare inches away from the fuming Uchiha then so be it.

Ever since Iruka-sensei lectured the generally aloof Uchiha, he'd been uncharactiscally reduced to a skulking teenager, a rare brooding visage he did not easily display. But like a dam that has been burst, Sasuke's childish nature emerged as he continued to snap at the girls around him, aggressively deter the boys and snarl at everybody else, excluding just one person: herself.

This special treatment from him, which in its place composed of baleful stares opposed to the way he treated anyone else plus even more confusing behaviour where he refused to relent on moving from his position next to her produced amounting worries. Astounding, how much attention became wrought on her due to his ever demanding presence.

Also incredibly bothersome.

It just did not make any sense. Her thoughts may as well be scattered like ashes in the wind as to how she could proceed from here on in. Hinata had thought his fixation would be gone by now, but he was still at it like a stubborn child!

If only she were intolerant like her little sister, that would certainly dissuade such uncanny behaviour. Nevertheless, since their academy days were finally coming to an end she could shake him off once and for all and view these bizarre two weeks as a thing of the past.

Iruka clanged his hand on the worn drum he kept near his desk, "Okay everybody! Settle down so I can read out which squads you'll be in," he shushed the chattering students, their faces etched with noticeable interest.

He was beaming with pride.

In his hand he held a long scroll, listed with all the graduate's names and their placements of squads. He had vested his time and effort to groom this bunch into capable Nin; he could taste their promising futures in the air. Particular students had caught the eyes of his superiors, Naruto and his background, Sasuke and his pragmatic mannerisms, Sakura and her admirable chakra control and a few select others. He was positively giddy to find out what their true potentials were made of.

"Now to begin, the first team would be with…" Sasuke tuned him out, instead eying the fidgeting girl on his right. She pushed her pointer fingers together, body vibrating in familiarity that broadcasted her worries. He struggled with the urge to scoff; she didn't need to be nervous at a time like this!

Iruka continued down the list of names, but he paid no mind, he was too transfixed on the pallor taking over the Hyuuga's skin.

His attention returned as the next couple of names were read out, "Team seven would be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno- "a loud whoop escaped the boisterous blonde's mouth, grinning at the Pink haired girl he'd been paired off with. Sasuke watched him out of his peripheral with veiled amusement; the idiot's crush on the girl was so obvious it was funny. And bearing in mind that the girl had eyes on **him** , well- Sasuke found it more than hilarious. He idly tapped the pencil in his hand on the wooden desk, a steady _tap, tap, tap_ sounding as he waited and watched. " _And_ Sasuke Uchiha!"

The pencil snapped in half.

Hinata sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing. She peeked at Sasuke, curious on how he was taking it, and instantly regretted it.

The boy had such a sour look on his face, mouth downturned and eyes bursting with ferocity. He looked like he was about to murder someone, carve them up like a skillet of fish and dump their mangled bodies into the ocean. If looks could kill, as the saying went, it would apply right here, right now. His lean arms lay flat on his table, veins bulged along the cords of his neck and his posture was rigidly straight. He was alert, but so very still. It was enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Sasuke?" she murmured hesitantly, for the lack of doing something else like… _comforting_ him. Even if he had been creeping her out for the past week she still cared about his…mental health? "Are you okay?"

His head turned ever so slowly and she was certain he was going to snap at her so she hunched in on herself, prepared for a verbal blow.

"No."

Her eyes widened as she watched his stance relax, a scary smirk spreading across his face.

"Not at all."

* * *

Three of the youthful graduates sat on a bench overlooking the village. None of them were thrilled with the team, well except Sakura, she had some eye-candy to look at.

Naruto on the other hand was equally devasted and overjoyed and he whined with displeasure at the notion of future missions being shared with that _bastard_ , "Why do I have to get stuck with you?" the boy complained as he sat on the other side of Sakura.

"Believe me when I say the sentiment is shared, bozo."

The blonde spluttered, "Did you hear that Sakura! Did you!?"

The girl, acting as a temporary buffer between the boys, sighed. "I have two working ears on the sides of my head, _yes_ I heard him."

They'd escaped the buzz of their now former classroom to meet up with their new team leader, but lo and behold, he was late. "Pffft, where the hell is this guy anyways? It's been over an hour." Naruto complained.

"They say patience is a virtue, dimwit." Sasuke and his taunts were getting on Naruto's nerves. Yet he did not rise to the bait or continue his monologue of annoyance, instead tucking his tanned hands behind his ears and stretching his orange clad legs, "Whatever."

Before anything else could aggravate the moody teammates any further, their designated leader _finally_ arrived.

He was a tall man, with spiky silver hair which defied gravity and wore a mask, hiding majority of his face. The stranger crouched down with languid ease, "Yo, I'm Kakashi and i will be your squad leader for the rest of your sorry teenage lives."

Emerald eyes, pale complexion, wild blonde hair. All three blustered with enormous amounts of fluid energy. These three were _strong_. _'I can already tell they're going to be a handful.'_ Kakashi mused, his eye creasing.

"Introduce yourselves and tell me your hobbies."


	4. Chapter 4

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

The Shinobi Academy of Konohagakure is one of the most esteemed schools in the country. Mediocre and exemplary Shinobi came through and went out into the world, armed with the basics and thrumming with excitement to prove themselves and then the process repeated with the new batch of students. More than half of that percentage that graduated the school had the potential for greater heights.

Of all those that studied at the school, some five percent arrived as prodigies and left as admired geniuses, packed with the knowledge they would do much in their undertaking of the world.

Itachi Uchiha, valued Shinobi of the Uchiha clan was a future legend in the making, was part of that percentage. He too had once graced the grounds of the school she'd spent the last six years training at. His last name turned ears in the market streets, his voice turned faces like a lamplight that attracted wondering moths. His skills were the most impressive and perfected in the arts of Shinobi. However, it was his personality that most respected, neither boastful nor a self-appointed messiah. He was polite, loyal to a fault and secretive.

And like any promising Shinobi he kept to himself, pulled no strings in politics and minded his own damn business.

Hinata's last Thursday evening at the academy, which was more of a farewell party than anything else, was interrupted with Itachi's unforeseen appearance- _as it was rarer than her suddenly becoming confidence extraordinaire_ \- and the disastrous spectacle on the courtyard.

His handsome face held a placid smile as he held his younger brother by the arm pits, dragging him and apologising to a dismayed Iruka as his younger brother thrashed in his hold.

Apparently a scuffle broke out between Sasuke and Naruto, word was (Since she was not on the scene beforehand) the Uchiha attacked his teammate of two days outside the academy gates in a fit of rage. Reason unclear for the moment. They were trading blows until the older Uchiha intercepted and brought the fight to an end by pulling his brother off a bleeding Naruto Uzumaki.

A murmur of whispers started up around her as a vitriol of swears, enough to make her turn red in the neck, spewed out of Sasuke's mouth as his brother hauled him away from the scene. Sakura, who stood on the sidelines rushed to her blonde teammate's side. If she had the courage, she would have joined the Kunoichi. Alas, Hinata stood back along with Kiba and Shino as Naruto spewed a spiral of profanity towards the Uchiha.

"My damn nose!" Naruto slurred, blood gushing out his nostrils. He held his head upwards, a tanned palm slapped onto his face. "I think that Sasuke-bastard broke my nose!" his right arm hung limply, appearing to be broken.

Sakura snapped at him in rebuke for creating a fight in the first place, hissing something else that did not spread to her ears. Hinata felt queasy with all the blood spurting out of her crush's nose like a waterfall and had to look away to compose herself, otherwise thankful to have Iruka attending to his broken nose.

"Sakura, can you please take him to the med bay and get him treated," Iruka asked the pink-haired girl after assessing the damage and lightly healing the boy with medical ninjutsu.

Sakura nodded in acquiesce, swiftly grabbing Naruto by his uninjured elbow and leading him away.

The remaining crowd quickly began to disperse as the show was long over, muttering between themselves in conversation concerning the two teammates of squad seven. Kiba placed a warm hand on Hinata's shoulder and gently pushed her into a walk, disrupting her eavesdropping.

It did not take long for the three of them to chatter aimlessly, Kiba and Shino bantering with each other to fill time as they headed towards the main street markets. Hinata quietly interjected when conversation fell short after some time, "Why do you think Sasuke and Naruto were fighting?"

"Those two are firecrackers Hinata, they'll fight over anything. Though Sasuke did look pretty pissed off," Kiba answered as they continued their walk through the busied streets. They stopped at a vendor to grab some food, resuming their slow pace and chewing on the sweet buns cradled in their hands.

Kiba swallowed then said, "Hey Hinata… I know it's not my place to ask," Heh, interesting since he was quite the gossiper. Almost as bad as Ino. "But did Sasuke use to pester you during class?" _Aaand_ her stomach plunged to the ground, once again reminded of her not so social competence and vague obscurity in their world.

"That is not any of our business," Shino thankfully saved the day like an honourable, not nosy hero. She shone rosily in the cheeks, sending him an appreciative grin.

"Fine, fine." Kiba waved him away, disappointment apparent. "Sorry Hinata."

"It's okay." A joint in her elbow popped as she gave a little stretch. She needed to unwind. Her new Sensei had all three of them running laps yesterday and set them a quite the rigid training scheme, much more tiring and intense than Iruka-sensei had ever assigned them.

They weren't due for a mission till next week.

As if he'd read her train of thoughts, "Didn't you need to have a talk with Kurenai-sensei about your endurance or something?" Kiba asked the female at his side, inclining his head towards the shorter girl.

Hinata stopped with wide eyes and blanched, " _Oh_ no I completely forgot!" She ate the last of her bun and pivoted, sprinting in the direction of the training grounds.

"Thank you for reminding me, goodbye Kiba goodbye Shino!" Her silhouette soon flickered out of their eyesight, lost in the sea of citizens.

"Yeah…no problem.

* * *

"You can let me go now," Sasuke grouched, a furious frown marring his young face. His cheek felt sore and was beginning to swell and he could damn well guarantee he would have a black eye tomorrow.

"If I did that you'd just run back to the boy," his brother replied, continuing to drag him like dog on a leash.

"Of course I would! "The young Uchiha growled, squirming furiously. "Now let me the fuc-!"

He was cut off, released and consequently from being tugged on fell straight to the floor.

Well, he wanted to be let go off did he not?

"Sasuke," Itachi said softly as Sasuke slowly got back up, "Stop cussing like such an insolent little brat. It is unbecoming of you."

Sasuke sneered at him, "You are not the boss of me." he replied, like a _brat_.

"No," Itachi agreed effortlessly, "But I am your brother."

He loomed over Sasuke, playing on his advantage of height. "Now _explain_ yourself."

* * *

 _10 minutes later_

* * *

He pulled at his short black locks; Itachi was acting like an overbearing hen!

It was driving him _nuts_.

"I told you," he snarled at his older brother, "It was just a senseless fight. Stop asking about it," he grit out irritably.

At this rate he would go bald and he did _not_ want to be bald. Not now, not today, not until he was a wrinkly old man.

Itachi, smiled in that odd way of his, the one where it could only be described as overwhelming and unwelcomed. Pacified _could_ be a word for it, frightening was another. Itachi's smiles ranged from polite, pleasant to downright creepy.

Of which could also be applied to his brother's persona.

" _Liar_."

Sasuke groaned and continued walking at a quick pace.

Itachi strolled along noiselessly.

"Is this about a girl?" he opened his maddening mouth again.

"No."

"Ah, it is."

"I just said it wasn't."

"Did your little crush reject you?" Now he knew Itachi was just taking blind jabs.

" **No**."

"Then why fight? I would have thought it beneath _you_ to start a brawl for the sake of it." _Ouch_. That would have stung him a great deal if his pride wasn't already _sullied_ , getting hit by his fool of a teammate.

"..."

Itachi released a minuscule sigh and stopped, forcing _him_ to stop as well. "I suppose I'll coax it out of you later then." A contemplative stare, "I'm sure you are wondering the reason I came to fetch you today." A note of enjoyment in his voice, "Mother requests, ah, your _presence_."

" _Wonderful_." Insert biting sarcasm.

Just what he needed. A scolding. His mother only ever 'requests' them back when she wants to give a lecture. For what? He could only wonder. Word may have reached her ears, but the fight only ended a short while ago.

Which meant this was for a different matter and when she caught wind of the recent fight he'd been in, and then he would be in for another piss round of talk.

 _Fan-fucking-tastic_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

Sasuke was sure his eardrums had ruptured. That is ignoring the distinct absence of blood, his ears were ringing like crazy and his temple was pounding like there were small fists smacking against the walls of his skull in a tantrum. His mother was furious. She had yapped her mouth off calmly _before_ she began screaming at him, he was sure she'd waken up those old grannies from next door. Those detestable, gossipy and never dying grannies. And with how loud her voice was, they'd have heard every single word she had said.

Thankfully, his father didn't berate him. Which was really fucking surprising, considering it was _him_. It was bad enough his mother had went on a spree on telling him how 'disappointed' she was of her 'foolish' little boy.

And then at the end of that fit she'd slapped him!

Twice!

"One for the fight at the Academy and the other for being so disrespectful!" was what she said after delivering the stinging blows.

He was dumbstruck at the end of it, walking out of the compound dazed with a bruised body (most especially his cheeks). Itachi, he saw out of the corner of his eyes, was watching him from afar. His brother had made no move to intervene and stick up for him, nor had his father. They had both stayed out of the way of his mother's rage.

He felt a little bitter and betrayed.

* * *

Someone tapped on her shoulder and Hinata turned to see one of her female classmates, Ino, standing there in the middle of the bustling street. She had just missed Kurenai, who'd told her to go back home, a mutter of something concerning Kakashi, earth Jutsu and alcohol escaping her lips. Hinata was thoroughly confused.

Hinata squeaked out, "Er, hello!"

" _Hinata_ ," Ino purred, leaning down to the smaller girl. "You and I are going to have a fun little chit chat," she giggled in a way that had Hinata shivering with horror.

"A chat- woah!" two pale hands had latched on to her own and she got dragged behind the taller girl.

* * *

Hinata had to admit Sasuke was attractive. He was a good-looking guy so she partially understood why all the girls were so hung up on him. Looks, superficial as it may be was what the majority of girls she knew went for. She on the other hand knew it was a shallow reason to go after a guy and didn't want to lower herself to their level. No wonder why Sasuke got irritated with them. Yet, subjectively his features mattered little when you took a look at his personality.

Sasuke was the very definition of brooding and dare she say it, a little bratty. Though he had certain flair of charisma, a 'bad' boy aura that she guessed attracted female attention. He was a little horrible at times; rude at most but sometimes she could see a little crack in his exterior and the softness that lied beneath. Still, he was as a whole- a mean boy.

Kind of a redundant line of thought considering she had been led into a trap and was now cornered by three girls and should instead be thinking of a way to flee.

"So Hinata!" sang the questioner, smiling sweetly at the moon eyed girl.

"What's your secret?"

Hinata blinked, staring at the three female Genins warily. She licked her dry lips. _'So they had Ino lead me to them and now they're interrogating me?'_

Bloody hell.

"Secret?" she whispered, feigning ignorance, "I'm not following."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "How is it that _you-_ (Really, must there be an emphasis? It made Hinata feel bad about herself)"-got Sasuke's attention?" she snapped.

Ino gave her friend a reproachful look, to what the pink-haired girl only shrugged. "What?"

"Don't mind the forehead," the blonde said as she turned back to the Hyuuga girl. "She's a little snappy now-a-days'."

"Um..." Yeah, she could _see_ that.

"With good reason," grumbled Sakura, her arms crossed under her still developing bust.

"Oh would you shut up with your whining?" drawled the oldest of the trio (Well the four of them now), TenTen was her name. Hinata knew the girl was in Neji's team.

Peculiar, she wouldn't have expected the older girl to hang with the other two. Unless...she too held a torch for the Uchiha!

Yikes!

"So what it is Hinata?" her attention snapped once again to Ino and she panicked. "We don't mind being a little forceful in getting the answers out of you." The look in her eyes was wicked.

"Uhhhhh!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

Neji didn't necessarily dislike his younger cousin; he was just too withdrawn to approach her as other _normal_ people might. He was recluse. However his father liked to ignore that flashing trait of his character and often times chastised him for being negligent towards Hinata, mainly for leaving her behind whenever they happened to find themselves in one's presence.

Usually, this occurred when his mother and aunt connived together to get the two to bond, but it never worked out. Neji was far too perceptive and their attempts only drove him off. It wasn't his fault he couldn't interact properly with Hinata, she was like a mouse and he feared he would hurt her by accident if he made one small mistake.

So while he may not have 'played' nor had a close relationship with Hinata, he still cared for her. So seeing the girl (surrounded and looking nervous) on his way to the training grounds was coincidence, and a chance to amend his reclusiveness towards her.

* * *

' _I have to make a run for it!'_ Hinata yelped as Ino lunged for her.

"Hinata please tell us!" She pleaded desperately, gripping her shoulders tightly. The blonde shook her roughly, pale hands gripping onto her like a vice. Hinata winced as she felt Ino's nails (More like claws) sink into the material of her thick jacket and touch the soft skin underneath.

The Hyuuga didn't know what happened, but suddenly Ino had become so clingy and delirious. Such a high contrast, it was making her head spin.

"Sasuke is like a god!" The Hyuuga yelped again in fright as Ino brought her face next to hers, sweating profusely as she looked straight into her wide pale orbs, "He's virtually untouchable." Ino whispered, as if sharing a jaw-dropping secret. "And you've been touching him!"

Hinata shook her head sharply, "He's only just a boy..." she said softly. Ino, enraged, shook her harder.

"That's not it!" she exclaimed loudly.

Sakura and TenTen shared a concerned look between each other, "Ino you're acting kind of crazy." Sakura said cautiously. She bit her lip as Ino ignored her, barraging on the smaller girl, on the edge of screaming. They were earning a few suspicious looks as well, and it was setting her off on edge.

"Leave Hinata alone… she doesn't know anything."

"Shut up forehead!" Ino looked over her shoulder, "This was your idea in the first place!"

Sakura gasped, and then growled. "Yeah and now I'm telling you to lay the hell off! You're scaring her!"

Ino turned back to Hinata, clenching her hands furthermore into the shorter girl's jacket. Hinata winced, "Ino you're hurting me…" she stifled her cry of pain. Using the hand's that hadn't moved the moment Ino 'attacked' she weakly pushed at the other girl by her stomach, alas she didn't use much force and so it didn't amount to nothing but making Ino wobble a little.

Her words went over death ears, Ino was possessed. "I abhor those that do not acknowledge Sasuke's greatness!" She declared, changing her grip's position. The hands that were placed on her shoulders felt weightless as Ino grabbed her elbows instead, "And you're saying he's just a boy! What is with this denial!?"

Hinata blanked out for a second, or two. _'Is she actually serious?'_ she thought, incredulous.

Someone mercifully intervened, coming to her rescue.

The blonde's eyes widened as she was suddenly wrenched apart from Hinata then pushed back with a large hand.

The ground she before stood on was now occupied by none other than Neji Hyuuga. And he had a thunderous look on his face. Sakura and TenTen began sweating bullets, _'This is so bad!'_ They thought in unison, unbeknownst to each other.

"What do you think you're doing?" his deep voice rumbled. Hinata peeked over his shoulder, staring at the three girls that now trembled in fear.

Ino, displeasured by the interruption of her 'questioning', sneered. "Get lost _pretty_ boy."

Yes.

Ino sneered and insulted him.

Neji bloody Hyuuga.

Wrong move.

An animalistic growl left his mouth, lips curling. Sakura decided this was not worth it and ditched her friend (She was not staying there with the long haired Hyuuga who had a furious temper, hell no!), scrambling away and waving in apology. "You're on your own Pig!"

TenTen scratched her cheek and laughed nervously, shuffling over to the sidelines.

The air seemed to crackle with energy as Neji's fury rose and Ino was very aware of it. However she did not cower down, no she needed answers dammit! She was convinced Hinata had some secret! Why else would Sasuke be so obsessed with her!?

Behind Neji, Hinata knotted her hands together. Her cheeks burned and she kept stealing glances at her cousin's back. He was angry. Oh dear he was livid.

"Neji stop," she mumbled, "I'm sure Ino didn't mean to say that."

See, Neji was touchy about certain things. Being called pretty or a girl (Because of his hair) absolutely infuriated him. It all went back to when they were about three years old (Four in Neji's case). She could still remember day, just as clearly like it happened yesterday.

* * *

 **Flashback**

" _You have such beautiful hair cousin Neji!" Little Hinata gasped, tugging on his silky hair._

 _She misinterpreted his scowl because, see, three year old Hinata was innocent in the ways of expressions, and what they meant. A frown meant that he/she was happy! A smile meant that she/he was happy! So Neji's grimacing face obviously meant he was happy!_

" _Like a pretty boy Neji! You're a pretty boy!" she cheered, running her little fingers into his locks._

" _The prettiest boy of all!"_

 _It was then a rumble had left his little throat and Hinata had watched on, bug eyed, as Neji tore through her playroom._

" _I am_ _ **not**_ _a pretty boy!"_

 **End Flashback**

* * *

She shivered as she returned to the present. Ever since that frightful day, the phrase 'pretty boy' was never said in the company of her cousin. It was taboo. He loathed the words and would go on a rampage if anyone happened to mutter them. She didn't know why it got under it skin so much, but it did. And she didn't pester him to find out. That _would_ be a death sentence.

"Apologise." He snarled, scaring Ino.

Ah, her boldness had dimmed it seemed. Though she wouldn't be Ino if she didn't take risks.

"Or what _pretty_ boy?"

Hinata and TenTen both shook their heads sympathetically, Ino had doomed herself.

* * *

Hinata was dragged back to the compound like a rag doll as night fell. Neji had startled Ino terribly, and the girl had (luckily using her brain) scampered off before he'd pounced on her. And now, as she discarded her jacket and shoes by the door, she went in search of her little sister.

Neji had a volatile aura around him and she needn't be in his presence any longer.

As she was walking towards her sister's room though, one of the branch members intercepted her. "Miss Hinata," he respectively bowed low. "Your father is entertaining guests tonight and wishes for your presence at dinner immediately."

Hinata nodded and thanked him before turning the other way and heading to her room. Manners dictated she make any guests a priority when in the compound, as a means of respect and strict Hyuuga ethics. Changing appropriately into a modest kimono, she slowly made her way towards the dinner room.

The servant that awaited by the door smiled kindly at her, before sliding the Shoji door open and allowing her to shuffle in.

She was greeted by the sight of pale skin, black hair and a scowling Sasuke Uchiha.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

Itachi watched impassively _, but with concealed interest_ , as his little brother kept shooting glances at the Hyuuga heiress. It only heightened his suspicion (Well, it was more like a guess) that the fight at the academy was because of a girl (Namely this one). Now who would imagine that? Sasuke enamoured with the Hyuuga heiress.

Hmm…

He twirled the chopstick in his hand, lazily watching as the two families battered ill-mannered insults at each other. The animosity between the two clans was legendary, they absolutely hated each other.

It was amusing though to witness them throw thinly veiled insults at each other, whether it was about the food being served or some flaw in both clan's politics, anything was a go. The women especially disliked each other, for reasons unknown to him.

"The Sakura trees are blooming nicely this year," Hikari, Hinata's mother, said with a sugary sweet voice as she sipped some tea, "I noticed some of your saplings are not _fairing_ too well."

"Indeed, perhaps you would _graciously_ give them a _blessing_. You always did have a _specialty_ for _plants_." Mikoto returned. The way she said plants, suggested she was not only speaking about 'plants', the look towards Hikari's stoic husband only confirmed it.

Hikari released a delicate laugh, which in reality sounded like her throat was scratching against sandpaper. "Oh you are far too kind." Her eyes twinkled and a smile curved against her mouth, while she aggressively stabbed at her food.

Neji released a choked laugh, and then smothered it down when his uncle shot him a look.

Hanabi, far too young (Or perhaps unwilling to notice or to-) understand or recognize the hostility between them ate on peacefully, chewing on a sweet piece of bun and offering some to Itachi, who sat across from her. He took it wordlessly, nodding to her as he began to eat.

"And your daughters are just adorable!" Mikoto gushed on, pinching Hinata's cheek (Who just happened to be sitting next to her) and fussing over her looks. "Very beautiful young lady I must say!"

Hikari was giving her rival a version of a polite stink eye, which was ignored as Mikoto turned in her seat to antagonise her husband.

"Ne, _husband_. We should get them married in the future?" she joked, elbowing Fugaku who was seated on her other side in the chest, multiple times over. The heiress next to her blushed, rubbing her sore cheek.

"They would make such cute babies!" Hikari grew red in the face at the insane proposed vision. What was wrong with this woman!

Itachi sighed; these mandatory family dinners got old quick. The women snarled at each other, the kids were blissfully ignorant or disgustingly playful (except him of course) and the men were always staring the other down in a silent contest of will.

"While that would have been desirable," Hiashi's voice intoned flatly, "My eldest is already engaged."

The air suddenly felt thick. Solid, compressing and heavy.

Mikoto's mouth had popped open, so had her youngest son's. Turning in her seat, the older woman cupped Hinata's small face and turned her towards her, "Congratulations dear," she said gently, patting her head with a hand. The Uchiha matriarch looked around the table, "Pardon me for being forward, but who might the lucky _young_ man be?"

Hyuuga's don't care for dramatics, "Her cousin, Neji Hyuuga." But that's a big, fat LIE.

Three things happened at once; Neji gasped and began choking on the piece of meat that was halfway down his throat. Hanabi took this opportunity and flung a couple at pea's at Mikoto's shell shocked face, with one of them managing to land in her open mouth, and Sasuke violently toppled over his seat and onto the floor with all the grace of a newborn.

Itachi raised a brow, well, this was _new_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dialogue:** "Yo"

 **Thoughts:** _'Yo'_

* * *

What an utter humiliation.

With the abrupt ending to dinner (Rightly so given the situation) the Hyuugas 'guests' were escorted to their temporary rooms for the night's stay. They were originally there to talk about mutual business opportunities, planning to discuss future joint operations, but thanks to his uncle dropping _that_ bombshell; it was put on hold till the morning.

That didn't explain why they had to _stay_ over.

This revelation was ludicrous! To him at least, he knew not of what Hinata thought about this arrangement. But what he already knew of her, Hinata would not make a fuss and take it in stride, never speaking up and objecting to her future being decided by the old ones.

If he was her and she him, he would feel resentment, hell he was already furious but for her it was a whole other story. She had the power to protest and yet she didn't, he would not make that mistake if he was in her shoes.

And now they were getting married.

To think his own Uncle would sell him out like that, no- it wouldn't have been his decision alone.

That **scheming** council, sliming their way into every business of his. It wasn't enough his father was outcast, driven _away_ from his homeland and his people when he was but a wee-old child, but this? To engage cousins who were so young? Had they no shame?

His nostrils flared as he paced the veranda, angry puffs of air coating the chilly night in small bursts of mist. Did they think, because he was considered 'lowly' (Despite the fact that relations between the two branches was better than ever, but there were the few that still looked down on him.) that he wouldn't object to this heinous union?

Underestimating him will be the biggest mistake they had ever made.

* * *

To say her mind was a blur- was true. Hinata knew not what to think anymore. Her father and mother hardly meddled with her future, either it be her aspirations or settlements.

Engaging her to Neji shocked her, far more than she liked.

And they had never revealed this, to her nor Neji (If his surprised expression was to go by) until someone said something of relevancy. Why would her father and mother do this?

Instead of the news making her angry, it only made her sad.

And that sadness soon turned into righteous anger.

Her determination clashed against Neji's prediction in a perfect counter-argument.

Hinata will do something about this.

* * *

"What do you mean they're getting married?!" his wife screeched.

"Hush, it was only a lie." Hiashi replied calmly, kicking off his sandals.

She gave him a disapproving look, arms crossed below her bountiful breasts.

He rolled his eyes, an uncommon mannerism she was only privy to. "I had to say something to stop the incessant ramblings of that woman, and it worked."

His wife gaped, "What about the children?"

"Leave them be, it'll keep them grounded and stop any foolishness."

Hikari shook her head, "I don't believe that's a good idea."

"Nothing will happen." He said with confidence.

What the Hyuugas' did not know was their rival clan were discussing plans of their own.

"Husband," Mikoto whispered calculatingly as they settled in for the night.

Fugaku sighed and gave her his attention. "Yes, wife?"

"We need to save Hinata."

He frowned, shaking his head. "Ah."

When her expression flew into annoyance, he backtracked. "Might you explain this endeavour?" he decided to humour her. She could be incredibly silly at times, but it was oh so entertaining to watch. Mikoto looked affronted by his indifferent attitude.

"You're not concerned?" In response to the second shake of her husband's head that night, she scoffed and exclaimed, "That poor girl is trapped in a loveless arrangement!" she wailed.

Perplexed, Fugaku tried calming her down.

"Mikoto, flower, WOMAN." He reached out towards her.

"NO!" She swore vehemently, escaping his grabby hands. "My motherly intuition shall not be ignored!"

"That ugly cow will not take away my son's future bride!"

"Br-bride?!"

* * *

Her plan of action?

Hinata wasn't panicking, no. She was only packing up for a looooooong trip away from home. No, never. Hinata never freaks out. Oh who the hell was she kidding? Her father bonded cousins together.

Neji, who she regarded as an older brother.

Eugh!

She was going to run.

 _Genius_.

Her senses prickled as someone came towards her room, their chakra familiar. She waited for them to pass and wonder off but was not expecting them to stop and knock on her door. She kicked the bag that was loaded with essentials into a corner and went to see what _he_ wanted.

"Naruto called you a stalker," he started off, a heavy expression on his face. He wiped it off.

"Wha-"

"I punched him."

She narrowed her eyes, "I _know_ that," she sneered, trying to bury her hurt feelings. He saw it anyway.

He clicked his tongue and swiftly turned on the heel, "It wasn't for you. That is all." Then sauntered off down the hallway.

Her face scrunched up in confusion, "W-wait!" She picked up her sleeping robe and hurried after him.

He ignored her, as he is prone to do. She snatched his wrist mid stride and forced him to a stop. He glowered down at her. She released him with a nervous look.

"Then why did you punch him?" she inquired quietly.

"Idiot is annoying, he stinks and I dislike what he says around me." He stopped, "Forget it." His cheeks went pink.

It was a hella cute sight.

She bit her lip. Damn his boyish looks.

"Wipe that look off your face Hyuuga," he sighed, taking a step forward to her. "You didn't know you were engaged." He stated plainly. She had the faint idea he was trying to distract her from the Naruto debacle, but his change of subject a questionable tactic.

She looked off to the side, "I don't really want to talk about it but yes, I-i was unaware of any contract or engagement until father mentioned it."

He leaned forward, invading her personal space. He cupped her chin with his index finger and thumb, tilting her head upwards, eyes boring into her own. "Fight the agreement."

She frowned, distracted by his hand on her skin. "It isn't as easy as you put it, my father won't be swayed in this decision..." she muttered helplessly.

He tilted his head, searching. "Huh." His thumb travelled across her skin and brushed her cheek slowly. "We'll see about that."

And then he smirked, devilishly, walking off.

"See you in the morning, Hyuuga."

She spluttered, blushing, "Y-you too!"

* * *

Hinata did not get to see him the next morning as he said, as Sasuke and the rest of his family were already gone.


	9. Chapter 9

A couple of days had gone by since the aptly named 'Hyuuga disaster'. His brother was brooding. And currently throwing a tiny fit in the courtyard with his weapons. They littered the ground like autumn leaves.

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Stop."

It was bothersome.

"No."

"Sasuke?"

"…"

"Stop."

And kind of fun. Like poking at an angry puppy.

Veins were throbbing along his brother's temples.

" _ **No**_."

" _Sasuke_." Itachi harassed, pushing his brother further to the brink of rage.

Aggrieved, the younger Uchiha continued to sharpen his Kunai with vigour so fierce-

"Sto-"

" _ **ITACHI**_ , WILL YOU-"

He shouted, jumping up and-

Itachi slapped a hand onto his mouth.

The "-STOP!" went silenced.

Sasuke snapped his jaws, attempting to bite his brother's fingers off. Itachi saw it coming and promptly evaded.

"No need to yell you belligerent brat," Itachi scolded him, wiping his sticky fingers on the material of Sasuke's shoulder, "Why must you slobber over me?"

Sasuke reiterated by saying Itachi could stuff his annoying mouth somewhere unmentionable and to _leave him alone_ , reciprocated by Itachi who pulled on his ear and chided him patronizingly, _you always annoy me for my company and this is how im treated when I spare time for you_.

A punch was thrown, to which the elder of two simply leaned to the side to dodge, beginning to yammer away about political nonsense that he _knew_ irked Sasuke to no end.

The prodigy parried a kick to his abdomen with a drawn up knee, "Now the business environment of our sector is predominantly polluted by greed and internal politics that are in constant conflict over land and this is quite unfortunate since we pride ourselves over-," he bent backwards and raised an arm to counter the sharp Kunai aimed at his shoulder.

"You need to work on your awful incapacitation skills," the dirty kick aimed at his groin earned Sasuke a slap to the face.

"Why do you people keep slapping me!?" the boy was having conniptions.

"Where was I? Ah, yes, all Uchiha receive the routine run-down of Clan politics/business adversaries around the time they're in completion of their Academic studies, so for you…" the spit to the face remunerated another light slap.

"I know all of this already! I graduated two weeks ago!" he twisted Sasuke's lanky arm, smiling a small smile as the Kunai dropped out of his struggling hands.

"That would be in the near distant future," he said redundantly. The fight and provision of needless advice came to an end with Itachi poking him fondly on the forehead, "Foolish little brother." He received a scowl for the effort of his work.

"Any more words of wisdom you want to impart on me, _big brother_?" Sasuke spat, retrieving the Kunai off the floor and glaring at him. "You need to shut your _infuriating_ mouth; everything that comes out of it is _shit_."

"And the Hyuuga girl is far out of your league," Itachi decided that was enough toying for today and disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving his enraged younger sibling behind.

* * *

His mother was washing the dishes, cleaning the dirty plates under a steady stream of warm water and humming a familiar tune to herself.

"I doubt Sasuke will appreciate you playing cupid, mother."

Unfortunately he was not here to admire his mother's vocal skills.

" _Itachi_ darling," she paused and wiped her hands down on her clothes, before standing before him and clapping two petite hands on his cheeks, squishing his face. His monotone stare persevered and she beamed.

"Your brother Sasuke is too young to realise what his feelings entail, im just giving a nudge in the right direction," she pinched his pale flesh, "If _you_ were interested in a girl, I'd be doing the same to you."

He'd make sure any romantic interests he had in the future would stay under wraps and out of earshot of his mother.

Itachi removed her hands from his person, "You are overcomplicating his small crush into something it's not."

"Oh, _Nonsense_ , he likes her well enough and the girl is sweet, why shouldn't I encourage him?"

He did not miss a beat, "They're _twelve_."

"They're _Shinobi_ ," she fired back just as quickly.

"Any respecting Shinobi would not dither in the matters of romance," he reasoned, hoping to gather support in the terms of practicality. Contrary to belief, he was only looking out for his brother. This little… _match-up_ his father had slipped to him was a fool's errand. He was here to rectify that.

"Your father and I _fell in love_ on the battlefield," she reminded her son crossly as she resumed washing the dishes, banishing his words to a hopeless void.

This was becoming tedious and he had training to do, "A rare manifestation of fate and luck, you were a privileged duo," he pressed.

The utensils banged into the sink as she released them from her hands, "Does Sasuke not deserve a companion? He has family, he has _you_ -"she turned to eye him earnestly, big does eyes and all. "But that might not be enough. Sasuke is… _greedy_. Motivated for attention from his peers, us, the girl. Do you not think he would fall in love with her in the future?"

His mother sure was an opportunist.

"I understand that possibility," he paused momentarily, " _but_ you are interfering with sentiments that are not your own. Leave Sasuke to figure that out on his own, you do not get to direct how he lives his life, even with subtle injections."

"Or, do you want to share similarities with the Hyuuga and their handling of… _social affairs_?"

A low blow it was, but the plain truth.

"A moot point, since we are not Hyuuga." She said, letting the matter drop.

Itachi stared at her, "Why are you even bothering to do anything? The girl is engaged."

Then a thing of nightmares happened, his mother smirked. "Engagements aren't set in stone, my sweet boy."

* * *

"Little birdy tells me our Sasuke has the Crushies for the Hyuuga heiress…" whistled Shisui, plopping down next to him on the grassy hill where he was admiring the clouds. He had just finished training.

" _Crushies_? Butchering words now, are we?"

"CRUSHHHIIIESSS!" his juvenile cousin shouted into the air, bracketing his hands on the sides of his mouth.

Itachi remained unmoved, uncaring as Shisui's voice ricocheted over their district.

"Very mature."

Shisui grinned.

"How goes the mission?"

"Same as always my dear old cuz', knocking out some Nin there," he spun the clutched Kunai deftly in his hand, "Rescuing damsels over here…. Fornicating with the women discreetly behind those bushes…"

"It isn't so _discreet_ if you reveal that to me."

"Itachi doesn't tell," He clapped his shoulder, rubbing obnoxiously, "So it is true then, about Sasuke? It's making rounds with the gossip groups like hot topic."

The hell, did his mother already feed information to his relatives? "…perhaps."

"Don't play coy with me Itachi," Shisui snapped his fingers, "If Sasuke is in the dating game this early just imagine what a complete stud he'll be once he's all grown up."

"There will be no _dating_ ," the younger of the two cousins said with distaste.

"Don't be such a cockblock _Itachi_ , the kid is growing up fast and you can't stop these kinds of developments from happening."

Itachi's eyelids slid closed as the headache building behind his prized eyes drummed, "The Hyuuga heiress is already engaged." It would be lousy to suggest a romantic pursuit if the girl was involved in a prior commitment. What Shisui didn't know, was that there was no such engagement in the works, which he'd discovered when paying the Hyuugas a little trip after talking with his mother.

"I heard about that too, poor little dude." Shisui tone was politely sympathetic.

Itachi opened an eye, peering sideways. Shisui was staring at him slyly, "And dudette." Shisui nudged him with an elbow, "You don't fool me though, and I can tell when you're lying." Damn it. "So what _did_ you do?"

Perhaps he would lend his cousin a measure of his trust… but if he tattled, Itachi would make sure to punish him.

"I scoured the Hyuuga compound, placed Hiashi Hyuuga's most trusted elder under a Genjutsu, sifted through his dull mind and extracted what I needed to know. Found out the engagement was false. Hiashi Hyuuga had fed our family a lie. I may have or may not have knocked him out cold and left him prostrate on the floor in retaliation for that fact."

His friend was gaping like a fish, "Itachi… you are too much!" he guffawed.

Itachi respectfully disagreed.


	10. Chapter 10

The glow of a new day flooded through her room, washing out the doom and gloom of night and replacing it with the much more appreciated soft hues of reds and yellows, rousing her out of her sleep. Hinata slowly blinked her way out of the obscure dream, staring at nothing and stretching her rigid limbs. _There was much to do today_ , she thought lazily.

Snorting a breath she rolled out of her futon, standing on wobbly feet. However, it looked like her body had not woken completely from its previous lull of inactivity, as she took a step and fell down from uncooperative limbs. Blunt pain assaulted her nose and warmth spread across her face as she hit the floor, tears welling up in her crusty eyes.

With a practiced roll, she shifted her body onto her back with a slight wince, glancing down at her stubborn feet and shaking the numbness out of them.

 _That's one way to start the morning_ , she thought breezily, undeterred. Clapping two hands on either side of her body and hauling herself up. Another day was upon her. Another day to tack upon all the _other_ days she'd been busy scrambling around doing… _stuff_. If all else failed and she didn't find a way to get herself out of this ludicrous arrangement then at least she had something to fall back on.

Her plan B, the back-up, was still sitting temptingly in a corner.

After completing her usual ritual, (Read: Wrestling with her hair) she popped in the domain kitchen and grabbed a slice of buttered toast, quickly returning greetings to the kitchen maids before hauling her butt out of the compound and munching on her breakfast. Neji had been avoiding her, as it was to be expected, though the painfully obvious degree he went through to not find himself in her immediate proximity had gained some notice.

Still, rumours hadn't flown astray (Her Father was an intimidating figure, Clan head or no) and the eyes that previously followed her like hawks dwindled to curious attention, before dissipating all together.

Hinata sniffed back a disparaging thought about her nosy family, lugging her heavy feet towards the western district, idly tugging off her jacket as the sweltering heat splashed over the country.

* * *

Ino huffed, waving her fan around her face and huffing some more when sticky sweat poured down her neck. Leaning on the counter, she shivered as cool smooth wood met her skin. She could just bend down and kiss it, the dirty cold countertop. Kiss it and slaver her tongue on it. Who cared if millions of germs made themselves at home in her mouth.

The air-con had gone out.

The air-con wasn't working.

 _There was no air-con_.

And Shikamaru was being a fucking _menace_.

"This is such a _drag_ ," came his voice, minutely humming from his position on the floor, surrounded by vibrant flora and making him stick out like an eye-sore. "I'm so tired and hungry… and sore… _Urgghh_ …" He squinted at her, smiling at her brewing expression.

Ino levelled a glare on his spiky, smarmy head, snarling out, "You haven't even moved your lazy behind an inch the second you entered the shop. That was two hours ago you-" Ino paused, eyeing a potential customer by the wide window plane.

The citizen stopped and stared through the stained glass, eyes lazily perusing the flowers in the shop, the boy on the ground and a girl with a glittering smile on her face near the back. He walked away, whistling.

The smile stayed in place until the shopper was there no longer, morphing into a scowl and a growl, "-useless jackass! Now get off that floor and help me!"

And just to spite her, because this heat was already unbearable and she was one-manning- _ehem_ -one- _womaning_ the shop by herself since everyone else was conveniently _indisposed_ on this unbearably hot day; Shikamaru blew up in a puff of grey smoke.

Positively shrieking ("Shit! Did you just _combust_ into _dust_?! Ha-ha that rhymed! _Ack_ what am I saying? - Shikamaru say something to me!") that she hadn't realised her lazy teammate had sent a clone in his stead and tricked her silly! Ino vaulted over and stomped towards the front of the shop, keys swinging and jingling a merry melody as she hauled ass out of the stuffy shop.

Ino was _done_.

Business was practically non-existent-

The air-con had fucking malfunctioned-

And she had been _deceived_.

The slam of the shop door felt satisfying, at least for a moment. Ino pocketed the keys and spun on the heel, blending into the crowd and clomping the ground with her heavy boots. _Oldies to the side,_ she avoided them and their sunspots. _Women to the front,_ she sidestepped them, assembling like a swarm.

Traffic was slow and she was surrounded. Ino huffed again, the 3rd huff in four minutes and tucked her hair behind her ears, before gathering Chakra at the soles of her feet and jumping, high-high and high she went, elevated over _everyone_. For a heavenly second, a breeze wafted and graced the plebeians baking under the sun and she was _floating_.

Not for long though, gravity called out its war-cry and tugged her back to the ground.

"Uwaaah!-"She squealed, voice lost in the sea of other voices. Landing was wobbly, but she didn't break anything.

 _I am_ _A-okay and we have... touchdown!_ Ino crouched on the rickety ledge, eyes hungry and searching for prey scurrying in the commercial district. She had been duped into caring for the shop and nobody had graced its fragrant opening, Ino wagered a day off wouldn't hurt business. _Much_.

 _And just as well…_ Ino thought, eyeing a familiar purple/blank shade of hair exiting a store. _Looks like Hinata has finally graced her entrance to woman-hood! Heh. Ehhh…_ Ino frowned, that sounded _so_ cheesy. Ah well, she traced the girl's path judgingly. _I still don't like her._

It wouldn't, she decided, be much of a hassle to ask about the change of style and catch up with the girl she had previously assaulted.

* * *

The elusive Sasuke hadn't made an appearance in days now, which pleased her greatly and relief filled her up like an inflated balloon so she let up her defences walking around the outer districts of the village. She was a girl, high on teenage hormones with a personal mission complete and he was not going to ruin her day. It was not that she expected him to pop up from the belly of a store to snatch her up on his growing shoulders and carry out devious torture sessions or whatever evil machinations Sasuke got up to, but he was crafty when he needed to be and used to getting what he wanted.

Pulling her bottom lip into the grasp of her blunt teeth, she dispelled thoughts of the Uchiha from her mind. He wasn't important now.

Her head now felt feather-light. Her hair had been slain (professionally) into a chin-cut that framed her small face and illuminated her shy jawline, before she'd taken another big step and abandoned her modest clothes which had been trussed, mourned over and then thrown out into a dumpster behind one of this district's hotspots.

Hinata _could_ have just called upon the hand-maids at her own home, instead of visiting a hairdresser but the free air called to her and she didn't want to endure cold doll-like hands handling her precious hair. They'd probably cut her bold out of ill-will.

 _There weren't many patrons when she squared her shoulders and braved the store, shuffling over to an empty chair and sitting down on the squeaky piece of furniture. The people who were gallivanting around were more than enough to make her feel small in her oversized jacket and pint sized height._

Bisecting away from the train of people she walked with, Hinata was not all that surprised to find Ino falling into step with her. "Hello," she greeted politely.

" _Hi-na-ta_ ," The blonde giggled, "Hiya!" Thus began her tirade of complaining about her day, the heat, but it wasn't that _bad-_ Hinata swatted away a mosquito that tried to drive its proboscis into her vein. The female of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio lamented away of her short-comings and how she was going to slaughter Shikamaru. Hinata was gracious in her sympathy, truly.

Then the compliments began.

This was bad.

And unprecedented.

Ino was being benevolent.

"You got a haircut! And you've ditched the sour wardrobe! I can't believe it, so _cute_!"

 _The towering people around her were giving her a case of claustrophobia. Luckily business was fast and no sooner had she sat down that a woman, busty jam coloured hair flowing wildly around her hips had grabbed her by the hand and yanked her away to a station, butt planted on a leathery salon chair. "Sweet cherub!" she had said, "What can I do for you, hmm?" Hinata's lips had thinned at the endearment. The boisterous woman proceeded to inform her that._

 _Her name was Akane-_

" _Fitting," she had replied._

 _And Akane was going to_ _ **rock her world**_ _._

Hinata absently tugged on Ino's slender wrist, leading her into Konoha's national treasure. The Botanical gardens. Ino had managed to subdue her mania from the last time they were together, which made her company much more pleasurable. Hinata smiled demurely when Ino began sliding her fingers _through her locks,_ "Oh my Kami! So short and soft- what conditioner do you use by the way?-, but it fits you, ne?"

Fake, so fake, a bogus iteration of praises.

 _The woman bobbed behind her, fitting a leopard skinned cape around her neck and spreading her long locks over her shoulders. She dug her manicured nails into her hair, "Such a lovely colour…" she murmured, rubbing a long strand between her fingers._

 _Akane wrestled out of whatever stupor took over her and cast a friendly smile at Hinata through the mirror, "We giving you a cut Hun? Short, pixie, perhaps shoulder length? Maybe some bleaching and some streaks, or a full dye?" she poked her in the cheek, turning her face to the right, "Symmetrical face… proportionate features and unique eyes to blend, there's so much to work with!"_

 _Hinata whipped her head forward, "Uh… just a cut... That's all I need..." she said slowly to the bubbly woman who seemed more and more unstable as she yammered on._

Twigs were snagging on Ino's ponytail but the blonde was energetic enough to ignore the new additions. Hinata wasn't exactly sure what she was going on about.

"-and then the old geezer snatched up a pair of clippers and tried to cut the stems himself! _Honestly_ , all he had to do was ask but nooooo! He was a _man_ and a _man_ does his own work. Pfft, sexism is so out-of-date. Such a pain in the neck, lemme' tell you Hinata. If you ever get hassled by an older man with a scar running across his eye-"Sounded a lot like Kakashi, not the sexist part, the scar. "Make sure you give him a straight hook and a kick to his flabby coc-" _Yeah_ , she was _so_ not listening to this one-sided conversation.

" _How short do you want to go?" Her slim fingers made their way into the depths of her hair again, weaving through, testing and pulling. Hinata stared at the mirror, then the hair tools that were used to primp, crimp and curl, thinking back to the days of the academy when Sasuke would stare with such indulgence on his face._

 _At. Her. hair._

 _Like he wanted to grab onto the lot and sniff._ _She couldn't tell whether he wanted to play with her hair or eat it, seeing as his gazes soon turned to one of hunger. Hinata cherished her hair, really, but it had to go._

" _Yoo-hoo_ , _Have I lost you?" Hinata shook her head apologetically and cleared her throat, before she agonizingly raised a shaking palm; distress accompanying the moving appendage as it rose higher and higher before settling. "Here," Hinata said, fingers trembling as she continued to hold them up. "I want the rest below to go." The woman arched a brow then set to work._

Two pale hands stopped her, shaking away the memory.

Hinata blinked and looked up, up, up, into the blonde's icy blue eyes. "Listen Hinata," she said, "I know you're deluding yourself about Sasuke," Hinata wanted to groan! So she did. "And digging yourself further into a hole that's going to be a bitch to climb out of, but I will depart with a word of insight," The previous atmosphere, that was so carefree and light had snuffed out, the wick of the candle- _gone_ , "Sasuke is _mine_ , you got that? Mine, not yours. If you keep going near him im going to rip your tits off and shove them on a pig pole, _okay_?"

Hinata choked on her spit.

Ino, the dear that she was, waited patiently for her reply. A serene smile plastered on her face.

"…okay?"

"Great!"

Thus, Ino did proceed on her word, leaving her on a bridge overlooking koi and shielding her chest.

* * *

Ino was in dire need of a psychiatric evaluation.

And Hinata?

Well…

Hinata was _not_ a saint, but she was sane.

Looks were being drawn as she walked into her home, astonished gazes wrought upon the complete 180 she'd done today.

Hinata thought _Good, make them stare_. Gave her confidence, it did. She like many other people, had her flaws and her misgivings and desires. Unfortunately for her loosely and few close people that she could call _friends_ , (And her clan-mates) liked to delude themselves into thinking she were some pure, guiltless and unassertive teenager who had a _somewhat_ promising future ahead of her and wouldn't dare act on dissident impulses.

It felt liberating, to prove them wrong.

She was growing bold and as a freethinking young woman, she enjoyed this new-found freedom. (Read: She was going to ignore Ino and her threats, her breasts will stay stuck to her torso- _thanksverymuch_.)

Contrary to an implicit inertia she felt when dealing with matters of consequence, this little endeavour of hers (The hair, the clothes, the audacity) brang excitement to indescribable levels. Against the hurt and bitter betrayal she felt by Neji's avoidance and her father's intentions, this step into foreignness was well received.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she advanced through the estate, high on euphoria.

Turning the corner, Hinata's smile was slapped straight off her face because- like a cliché story plot, she ran into Neji's solid chest. Stumbling backwards, since she was unnaturally clumsy around these halls, strong arms wrapped around her elbows and kept her from slipping down, down, down…

Eyes mirroring her own stared with sheer intensity, his hands leaving her skin and returning to the pockets of his shorts. Her cousin was here, the same cousin that had been avidly avoiding her like she housed the plague itself. " _Hi_ ," she cheeped, cringing. Releasing a cough, "Neji."

His eyes secured themselves, the surprise wilting away. "Your team are awaiting you outside the gates," he said lowly. Distancing himself away from her, which hurt. Again.

"Oh, thanks?" she scuffed her toes, "How- ah, _cousin_ , how have you been?" This was her day, _okay_ , and she was going to force him into a conversation. "And I've been meaning to ask something of you, except… well I haven't really seen you around..." His eyes narrowed, "…since we are all so busy." _Kami_ , that was a blatant lie.

"Fine," came the indifferent reply. Then courtesy demanded of him, "What did you need?"

 _Yes! We are making progress!_ Hinata smiled shyly, "Could you perhaps lend me a hand in my tra-"

Neji seemed to catch onto the sentence (Genius he was) and cut her off with; "You look different," Hinata flushed then squinted...was that? _Yes_ it was! Thin lines of pink were high on his cheeks. He was blushing like a green boy! Neji didn't blush!

"Ah, thank you... and about the thing I wanted to-"

He bowed lowly, suddenly (Looking everywhere not _her_ ); interrupting her _again_ -"The Inuzuka boy sounded urgent so you should not dally, I apologise, but I must be going now." Hinata gritted her teeth, realising that no- her cousin was not in the mood to socialize and two- he wanted her gone. Like right now. Out of sight. It had been what, a minute? and he was already sick of her.

Oh look, he was a few paces away from her too.

"Neji?" she called out, uncertain.

"What is it?"

 _I just wanted to ask if you could train with me… and talk about ' **this'**..._

"N-nothing."

And he was gone.

Dejected, Hinata made her way outside, burying the rejection deep down.

At least her team could raise her spirits.

* * *

Except not.

Her morale descended, down into a bottomless pit.

Because not only was her squad waiting for her, but Kakashi's was too.


	11. Chapter 11

His eyes widened with surprise as the Hyuuga heiress finally came out of hiding, diffident eyes meeting his own with a jolt and shudder as she released a noticeable breath. His heart stuttered, tingles rushing to his face. His ears roared with heat and buzz, as cliché as it was, Kakashi's voice dim in the background (he was in the middle of a discussion with Kurenai-sensei and thankfully did not see his hesitant appraisal, backs turned to them as they whispered in low tones) as he did a double take.

Were the rest of them seeing what he was seeing? Did they see the Hyuuga Heiress emerge from the estate looking like…

Looking like…

 _Ino's carbon copy._

"You look like Ino's twin!" Naruto blurted out next to him, eerily echoing his thoughts. Hinata's face fell. The noise in his ears cleared and he winced at the tactless idiot.

"..Ah?" she canted her head to the side, a crease of slight infuriation on her brows.

An uncharacteristic fizz of laughter wanted to free itself from the cage within his chest, but he tamped it down. _Barely_.

The hopeless girl had rid of her Capri pants and that lavender bulk that she called a jacket and replaced them with a knee length skirt with white bandages wrapping around her midriff, forearms and thighs like a fresh mummy. A sleeveless hoodie was cut a few inches below her waist and hugged her skin like Lee's jumpsuit.

The problem?

It was all in purple.

Naruto was ablaze with his exclamations, "You've cut your hair too? What the hell Hinata! And why are you dressed like Ino for!? Have you two joined a sisterhood or somethin'?-"

"I-uh…" Sasuke focused on her lips, watching her tongue flick out and make them glisten, gut stirring by the sight, "I didn't want to look like Ino…" she whispered to the deaf ears of Naruto.

The name of her sworn frenemy finally caught Sakura's attention and one look to Hinata's sullen face had her kicking into sisterly overdrive. She deeply regret her act of trickery and amateurish attempt at interrogation concerning the pale girl from a week ago and she hadn't yet apologised for it, being too cowardly to face the girl and admit her wrongdoing. Well it looked like the perfect situation arose for correcting her mistakes.

"Naruto..."she growled loudly. Naruto had the sense to cower as she stomped her way over to them, gaze zipping from the quiet heiress to Sasuke's wooden expression, finding no support whatsoever to protect him from the spitfire coming his way like a tidal wave.

"H-hey Sakura!" he squirmed on his feet as she stopped before him, "... _What's_ up?" He cringed hard when his voice broke.

The exotic haired girl grinned harshly, teeth and all, then drew her fist back and clocked the blonde square on his crown, "What did you do this time, HUH!?" she barked, seizing the collar of his jacket and bringing his face close to her own, their noses so close that they were nearly touching. "I'll break you in half if you've hurt Hinata's feelings," she threatened. "Emotions aren't something you toy with, got it?"

Naruto's cheeks flamed at the proximity and he flailed and failed to hide his wail of pain from being hit, "I didn't do anything!" he cried out, "I just thought the resemblance to Ino was-"

However Sakura wasn't listening to his justifications and shook him, "Why can't you ever give a girl a proper compliment!?" She shook him some more, "Does it really hurt you to say ' _Hey, I like how your hair looks_?!' without treating her like a freak to be gawked at!" And because a violent part in her budded with glee as his face turned a putrid colour of green, she shook him once again. "Answer me!"

"I didn't mean anything by it! I swear, I swear!" he amended sheepishly, rubbing his nose as warmth blossom behind his neck like a mini sun.

Emerald eyes glazed with frustration as she unhanded him, grumbling something under her breath about boys and lack of sensitivity.

Sasuke edged away from the two parasitic aggravations, attention drawn back to the heiress who hadn't yet made a peep when Sakura stepped in but instead stared off into space like a loon. He wondered if her feelings _were_ indeed wounded. Or maybe she hadn't taken any offence at all. She was weird like that.

"I think you look good in the new outfit Hinata," Sakura said abruptly, causing Hinata (as well as Sasuke and Naruto) to look at her. An unsure smile appeared, encrusted with an unanticipated amount of warmth as Hinata inclined her head in thanks.

Sasuke's female teammate returned the gesture, confusing Sasuke, before she addressed the blonde, pinning him with her eyes as she said, "Don't listen to what this doofus says. He has no idea what he's talking about. The buffoon's head is always up in the clouds you know?"

Naruto glowered at her and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest in a rare and reserved act of control.

What he really wanted to do was shout to the navy heavens with its fluffy marshmallow looking clouds and mope on the cold, dead floor and then for the grand finale- drive Sakura into apologising for being so mean. But he wasn't going to do that, Naruto was learning a thing or two since meeting his enigmatic sensei.

" _Hmph_! Say what you want but I am a caring, soon to be- illustrious young man _and_ the future Hokage of this village and Im not gonna' listen to you call me names any longe-"

He found himself at home beneath Sakura's underarm, being squeezed to a ripe blue colour.

"- _Longah_."

The knock to the head had developed into a gargantuan red bump on his crown, thrumming like a heart and the veins distended on his temples looked ready to pop and squirt plasma everywhere like juice pop. He squealed as she increased the pressure and locked down her muscles.

"Oh sorry, what were you saying? You're a kind _and_ illustrious person? _Hoo_ \- four syllables, im _almost_ impressed."

Naruto wheezed pitiably yet still managed a snark retort, "Well what can I say? I like to _read_."

Sasuke (neutral as he was) observed Shino and Kiba moving in the background, herding around the heiress and whispering amongst themselves. He spared them a minute watch, shamelessly reading their lips and catching Hinata's milky eyes as he did so. They stared at each other for an inappropriate amount of time before she broke contact and looked away, pink on her cheeks.

Odd. His own cheeks felt warmer than usual.

Kiba took notice of the interaction and looked to Sasuke over his broad shoulder, a snarl rising up on his lips in warning. Sasuke ignored the uncouth mutt, trying to catch her eye again, but she had stubbornly negated the chance by aligning her back to him.

 _That's bold of her._ He thought, eyeing the short strands of her hair whistling away with the wind.

His black eyes landed back on Naruto and Sakura bickering.

"Enough of that canoodling, you can save it for another time." Finally wrapping up his conversation with Kurenai, Kakashi slid into the fray with a calm indifference. Though being the debauchery fellow that he was, he then escalated the squabble by placing a hand on Sakura's pink head and _pushing_.

What happened next was easy to guess. Naruto and Sakura both fell to the floor with a groan in a tangle of short/long limbs and thrashed like frightened hens running away from the butcher, shrieking and drawing all sorts of attention.

"Kakashi..." Kurenai admonished firmly, but didn't step in to assist.

The Jounin observed the scene with a keen eye, ignoring her. "Maa, you two kiddo's need to grow up a little bit more for that kind of familiarity." So Kakashi remedied the situation (since he was so considerate) and grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his jacket (Sasuke's eyes bled every time he looked at it, honestly- _orange_ ) before he lifted him off Sakura, never mind the fact he was the reason they were on the powdered concrete in the first place.

"Behave," he reprimanded the boy dangling two feet off the floor.

Naruto stuck out his tongue and began kicking his legs, "Shaddup' ya damn dirty geezer."

Kakashi sighed and flicked him hard on the nose. "I'll pay for three whole bowls of ramen if you repent," he bribed with no remorse. Naruto's eyes became vacant as he slowly and apologetically verbalized to Kakashi that he was so, _so_ sorry Kakashi was old.

The Copy Nin dropped him back on Sakura, who was in the process of picking herself up. She yelped as Naruto's heavier physique flattened her on the ground like a pancake. "Sensei!" they screamed in accord.

What trailed thereafter was some simple dialogue with a sprinkle of coercion via threat by homicide that had everyone's fingers quaking. Sasuke inched his way to Hinata but was chopped up in his quest to do who knew what when Kurenai ordered their attention with, "Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai. Group up." Wherein she imparted what their joint- operation entailed with the mission scroll that was sitting in her hands, helpfully decoded into words they could follow easily.

And they listened with open ears and closed mouths as any good Leaf Shinobi would, absorbing the information and storing it away in their memory banks.

"Now do I have to repeat myself or have you've all understood each of your parts in this mission?"

They all nodded in harmony, like the perfect novices they pretended to be.

"No, sensei!"

"Good, now move out!"

* * *

Their mission to the land of Tea was doomed from the start.

Ofcourse that was just a prediction of his. Yet considering, his unfathomable precision and natural intuition (Rivalling his brother's repertoire of skills no less!), something on this mission was bound to go wrong, especially with Naruto here (the boy was bad luck personified). But Sasuke didn't care all that much about the impending failure of this mission. He'd got what he wanted in the end. Getting closer to _her_.

"Hey," he uttered, slowing down to match her stride.

She walked alone in the rear formation, the triggered spirals of her Byakugan fading from the corners of her eyes. "Erm, hey." They were alone. Behind the pack. Good. Now he didn't have to worry about the bug boy and hound interfering. Very good.

His nose twitched as she shuffled beside him, gaining speed in her gait, attempting to escape. He nudged her with his elbow, "I've missed you." He said brazenly.

Queerly enough, she squeaked and flushed red. "Arhh-"

"Did you miss me?"

She stared at him. "I'm not sure…maybe," then speared her gape to her feet, faltering. "It's only been a couple of days, Sasuke." His name rolling off her tongue sent a shiver of delight up his spine.

He tugged on the hood of her vest, pulling her back from venturing too far, the muscles in his face convulsing as he fought back a smirk when she squealed. "The days have been long _Hinata_ ," he muttered in kind, towering over her, nearly announcing how much it perturbed him for being away from her for such a short amount of time.

Her eyes went wide and her hands shakily tugged at the ends of her shirt, overcome by the heat radiating off him.

"I'm sorry..?" Her eyes suspiciously shined and his chest began to constrict strangely. He had to wonder if this girl had trickery up her sleeves, always making him want to watch her, consume her addictive responses, _touch_ her places he'd never thought he'd want to touch.

…Like her lips. Pretty, pink and lush.

Frowning, he caved to the hammering confusion of his brain and moved away. "It's nothing." A hand came up to rub at his sternum, the bizarre pain persistent. She was making him feel funny and soft around the edges. It had to stop.

"Ah...okay."

He blinked.

"I…" he began to say.

She blinked.

He whipped his face away from hers, "The choice of colour you've chosen for your clothes clashes with your hair," he said clumsily. "…I" _I still like it,_ is what he wanted to tell her but the words were stuck in his throat.

And why was he suddenly giving fashion advice?

Who knew?

He was off kilter today.

Maybe his mother had spiked his water or something.

Who _knew_?

(Then again he was hardly the conversationalist.)

His eyes went wide as he had a sudden thought. _Is there something wrong with me?_ He looked at her, finding a pinched expression on her round face. _Am I sick?_ His ears began to burn as her eyes bore into his. _She's doing this to me._

"You don't like it?"

Well he wasn't going to tell her the truth, now was he? And risk looking like a-

Like a-

Love-struck fool!?

 _GAH_!

"It's…adequate." He managed to choke out.

She folded her arms, "Sasuke, you're being very vague."

"…" He stayed silent.

In truth, what Sasuke was experiencing wasn't a phenomenon.

It's just that he was clueless.

Sasuke frowned when she gave a defeated sigh.

"Im just going to go…?" she posed it as a question, unsure of what else she wanted to say and nodding towards Kiba's back like a frightened cub deprived from the protection of its mother. He frowned harder, sweeping the imagery out of his mind and saying nothing as he fell behind while she strode away from him, a noncommittal "Bye" tossed his way.

Hinata was weird.

Was she always _that_ weird though?

Creeping away from him, avoiding eye contact like he was some ghoul that crawled out from its grave and was coming after her entrails. Or did he just not notice before?

His frown became a scowl, mood ruined. He confesses that he misses her, opening himself up- permitting a second of vulnerability that anyone else would have taken advantage of and all she does is run away.

Voices of impatience reached the back of the line as Naruto whined about something or the other. The Land of Tea was muggy, sticky and smelled of cloying wildflowers. At least for an escort mission, they hadn't been sent to rain country, and then perhaps Sasuke would have echoed Naruto's displeasure. He hiked his travel backpack higher on his shoulders, following behind the carriage that moseyed along the rocky road.

Pulling at his newly acquired garment (It was a scarf, a scratchy black thing that he would throw out after this mission) Sasuke picked up the pace to walk next to Sakura, who, amazed by his lack of hostility began to chatter away into his ear (He only walked with her because she was closest.) as he burned a hole through Hinata's head.

Damn her and damn her damnable face.

Damn it!

He snorted at his own train of thoughts. _It can't be helped_... Hinata would be dealt with later... after he felt like his normal self again.

For now, he had to focus.

Their mission was a small one, a class C and they had been on the road for two days thus far. It was an upgrade from the mindless tasks they were being given before, sure, but it was no espionage or infiltration. No, their job was to escort a trade dealer's carriage full of poppy stems to all the way to Wave and make sure their client wasn't harassed or worse, by the roaming bandits that plagued the main travel road. Kakashi thought their client (Whose name was Akihiro, a scrawny looking bloke with a nose that pushed his eyes far apart) was hustling opium to a drug lab and that they were going to get mugged. Kurenai was much more dubious.

His newly donned on gear were gifts given to them on behalf of Akihiro's young daughter Hisa, who was travelling with them. She was small, brunette and into the art knitting and she had a whole sack full of supplies, which she spent working with whilst striking up conversation with the two other females who were closer to her in age. Hisa was also generous, bubbly and he didn't trust her at all. Their clients seemed shifty with their laughs and unassuming exteriors-and much to his shame to admit- rustled his jimmies.

Ha.

He'd express his concerns to Kakashi.

 _Later_.

"Sakura."

The girl stopped talking, almost tripping over her feet from being addressed by him, "Yes Sasuke?" A pretty blush came about upon her cheeks and she bit her lip, more than eager to please. She too wore a scarf, identical to his.

 _Her woollen plaid pink monstrosity rested just below her nose. "Don't you think it's cute on me Kakashi?!" she had asked their sensei, "Im like you now, look, look!" Hinata too had gotten a scarf, which she'd wrapped loosely around her shoulders, the red piece that finally brought some colour to her outfit._

 _Kakashi had seemed unruffled of his subordinate's comments but Sasuke had caught sight of the subtle movement of his fingers touching his own mask and the partially rankled expression on the half of his face that was visible._

"Am I abnormal?" he asked Sakura, glancing at her curiously.

"Er, what?" Her blush dimmed.

"Am I emotionally stunted?" She spotted the colour red angrily creeping up from under his collar as she pondered on the question.

Truth be told Sakura was feeling pressured, still nursing a crush on him. And no girl wanted to tell the boy she was infatuated with that yes indeed, he was quite unskilled in the social department.

"…A little." Unbeknownst to Sakura, she had single-handedly shattered his veil of control with that answer. Sasuke wavered between outrage and deflection.

"…Is that a good or bad thing?" _Why am I asking her_ _ **more**_ _questions?_

She hummed, thinking on it. "Depends on who you're asking," she settled on. _You_ , he answered in thought. "B-but I personally don't find a problem with it! You're fine the way you are and- I think you're really _really_ cool-"

He was already walking away.

And that was why he didn't talk to girls.

They sucked up to his ass and made him feel like a piece of meat.

But-Hinata though… _didn't_ objectify him like… _that_.

It was probably why he liked being around her so much.

...and her being engaged to that smug Neji just really _pissed him_ off. Neji didn't deserve her. Neji could go live in a hole for all he cared.

If only he had a proper older brother who was familiar with emotions such as his, then perhaps he may have unburdened the load on him.

But Itachi was useless.

* * *

 **Wowzers look who updated! Anyways, this was originally like 6k long. But then I cut it in half. Fuck. (Guise, _guise_. Can we pass 100 reviews?)**


	12. Chapter 12

Where there was Hinata, there was bound to be some scene of pandemonium.

And what would you know? There was.

Shrill screams of alarm had him stooping low, one; to avoid being decapitated by the heavy scythe that went whirling over the space where his head had been and two, to plant his feet and jump back and flicker into the air to assess the ambush from high above, scarcely missing the senbon needles that trailed toward him. Smokey clouds of dirt had thrust up into the air with heavy volume, concealing the combatants and making it harder for him to see which one of those blurs under him were friend or foe. They were under attack and his team had scattered across the playing field, split apart like fissures on a cracked glass.

Now, where was Kakashi-sensei, or Kurenai-sensei? And the cargo wasn't visible! Kami knew where their charges were. Sasuke crossed his arms, mid-air, sullen by the poor prospects presented to him.

Inexcusable for him, there was only so much time to waste in the air before he came back down to join the fray.

And when his feet touched the floor, they were waiting for him.

He reached for his Kunai pouch, deflecting the pointed dagger targeted at his eye with the blunt end of his blade and kicked the other that followed to the ground, crouching low and swiping out his feet when the heavy foot of an enemy slashed at him from behind, aiming at his shoulder. The assailant went down grunting, rolling to his feet in an impressive display of acrobatics (Sarcasm!) and driving him backwards with a double edged sword that he swung wildly to his sides like a startled bully.

In other words, he was far too sloppy and Sasuke easily disabled him, shucking his weapon off to the side several yards away and planting his right knee onto his bony chest, using the force of gravity and his own physical weight to knock him down flat on his back. "Too slow. So _weedy_. Eat some protein and try harder next time."

"Why you!-"

"Listen. I don't have time to waste on a weakling like you, skeletor."

And with a tight fist smashed into his pointy nose, breaking it with a decisive _crack_! Sasuke knocked his opponent out cold.

Up ahead, within the mist, someone chuckled and clapped at him. The unknown person turned and began walking away from his hazy line of sight. He gritted his teeth at the blatant disrespect.

"Sasuke!" the feminine scream cut off and he scowled with frustration, forgoing to intercept the likely perpetrator and rushing off into the warping smoke towards the voice. Why was she calling out his name at a time like this? This was so unprofessional. Sliding across the floor, scraping his knees and catching the Kunai sailing free-fall from above her, he grabbed her around the waist and threw her up in the air like a cushion so he could clear the area.

" **SASUKE**!" she screeched again, this time with a rising amount of displeasure that made his ears _Zing!_

" _Tch!_ You're giving away your position, idiot!" he called up to her, summoning a Katon and setting the place aflame. The answering fire style Jutsu from within the smoke had him flipping immediately to avoid his face getting scorched off. In that moment, Hinata came crashing down, colliding with his airborne body with the force of a small meteor. Her head bashed against his chin and sent his teeth rattling.

" _Damn_ girl," he shoved her to the ground and covered her with his body as a series of weapons set sail to say hi, stifling a grunt as one grazed his ear. Another "Sasuke!" went off muffled into his shirt, tickling his exposed collar and distracting him. He had the impulse to tickle her back and see how she liked it. And before he could carry on doing so, they were rudely interrupted.

A mass of Chakra came hurtling ahead, same as the weapons and he looked up just in time to see Kiba smash into the tree trunk in front of them, creating a hollow impression in the bark. Kiba slouched down, spitting blood on the ground before he noticed both he and Hinata staring at him with frozen wide-eyed expressions. His eyes narrowed on their suspicious positioning, with Sasuke's one hand cushioning Hinata's head, another hand poised above her ribcage, with Sasuke basically squishing her beneath him and her hands splayed on his chest; plus their fiery cheeks.

"Hinata!" he barked, gaze smouldering. "This is not the time to be flirting with your wannabe boyfriend! _Get up_ , get up and protect the two civilians!"

Sasuke's face began to burn hot like the tomatoes he loved so much when Hinata shoved him off, "We weren't doing anything of that sort! And hes not-! Hes not my anything!" she replied defensively, tugging on Sasuke's sleeve to pull him down and save him from the crossfire of Shuriken thrown in their direction. Regrettably, Kiba was unable to hone in on the threat fast enough, the fresh Genin he was, and they nicked him in several spots, tearing open his flesh.

He roared, fangs salivating, "Akamaru!" he called, whistling out a tune. Soon the small dog came bounding through and hopped on his shoulder, unharmed and growling into his ear. Hinata's concerned, "Kiba! Are you okay?" left unanswered.

Kiba regarded her dispassionately, wiping the blood off his cheek as Sasuke and Hinata both stood up. "You let me down, Hinata." His gaze turned on Sasuke hotly, "And you!" he stomped towards the Uchiha, getting up into his face aggressively, "Stay the hell away from her! Why aren't you with your team!?"

Sasuke looked down his nose at him, not intimidated in the least, the sharp shout of Sakura ringing in the distance, followed by the unmistakable bellow of Naruto's "Believe it!" This was getting ridiculous. "You don't have the authority to give me orders. Go play fetch somewhere else, mutt. I'm busy here."

Their foreheads knocked together as Kiba leaned in, snarling in his face with Akamaru giving a curt bark. "You think you can get away with calling me that, runt?"

"I just _did_."

Hinata bit her lip brutally as her eyes flicked to Kiba, then to Sasuke, then to Akamaru and his wagging tail, then to Kiba again. The fighting was now background noise as their teenage hormones sky-rocketed. "Please, don't get into a scuffle! We can't compromise the mission anymore! _Ah-_!" Kiba abruptly grabbed hold of her arm and gruffly pulled her to his side, hooking his arm securely around her waist. The blood rushed to Hinata's head, "Ki-Kiba?"

"…Let go of her."

Kiba's brows puckered at the bare possessiveness of those words, " _Hah?_ " He knew a territorial threat display if he'd ever seen one, with Sasuke's curling upper lip, the clenching of his fists and the menacing gleam in his dark, cold eyes. Kiba was beyond disgusted by the arrogant turd.

Hinata blushed beet red as Sasuke, just as suddenly, towed her back and captured her under his arm. "I don't want you touching her," though the grating rumble of his words had her rolling her eyes.

"Please stop being childish!" she chided them both, fidgeting beside him and prying his hand off her hip.

Sasuke glared down at her, "You be quiet."

Nonchalant in his reproach, Kiba pulled her just as quickly back by the elbow. Hinata flushed hotly, "I don't like _you_ touching her, creep. Keep your grubby hands off."

Sasuke's brow rose contemptuously, "What are you going to do to stop me, pee on her and mark your territory to scare me off?"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Kiba paused, adding for the hilarity of it, " _And_ , I just might!" Hinata squeaked out a harried "No!"

Affronted, Sasuke snatched her back. Vexed, Kiba did the same. Thus began the trials of tug-of-war that had Hinata experiencing an onset of dizzy spells, the worst she had ever had in her short life, wandering hands and the increasing urge to puke her guts out onto their shoes. Also, for added aggravation, to stomp on their toes, kick their shins in and make them eat dirt because this was her first serious mission she- and them, collectively- were hired for and she couldn't believe they were messing it up!

And where was _everyone_ else!?

"Stop!" she cried, feinting to the left when Kiba made to grab her again and scurrying away from them both. She panted harshly, "I'm not a _doll_! Both of you stop man-handling me, right this instant!" she shuddered as a result from their lingering holds. They touched her like she was some toy they didn't want to share! What was with these boys putting their squirmy hands all over her? It was enough to turn her normally pale skin pink all over! Sasuke was bad aplenty, but Kiba too!?

Kiba pointed to Sasuke's face, "Tell him to bugger off! He isn't your teammate, I am!"

Sasuke slapped the offending appendage away, "As I said before, I don't take orders from you and I sure as won't take orders from her. So why don't you go ' _bugger off'_?"

"You've sure got a pert mouth, how about you ' _fuck off'_?"

"Go back to your kennel, _hound_."

Kiba barked a laugh, "Really? Is that the best you can do? Crawl back to your brother, you little _shit_. You're useless to this mission."

A yelp tore out of the Uchiha's mouth as a stray ability charred his hair before he could give his presumably snarky answer. Kiba let out a delirious " _Ha_!" and laughed at him. Then kept laughing and _laughing_ and laughing...

It seemed, the damage to the tips of his spiky hair, the mission gone wrong, his thwarting attempts to make _something_ with Hinata, plus all this build-up of animosity that didn't exist before this day between them finally snapped his tight leash of control as Sasuke and lunged at Kiba with a violent growl, proceeding to lose his words (and his cool) by tackling him to the ground where they wrestled, scratched and used their hands to swat at each other like a pair of disgruntled kittens.

Akamaru yipped indignantly beside them (where he had managed to not be squished to a pile of slop) and trotted towards Hinata, sitting on his bottom and watching the show with lazy eyes.

"-OW! You absolute nutcase, why are you-" Kiba spluttered with a groan as Sasuke drove his fingers like spikes right into his abdomen.

"Um-" Hinata tried to cut in.

"-Why would you laugh at my hair? THE _HAIR_? What's it ever done to you!?"

"-You creepy, vain, stupid Uchiha! _Hey_ , what are you doin- _ACK!-"_ Sasuke began to pummel his fists. Kiba retaliated and clipped the Uchiha's jaw which was guaranteed to bloom with a bruise. Sasuke began pulling on Kiba's hair, Kiba let out a spectacular screech.

"-Don't _ever_ laugh about the hair!-"

"DON'T FUCKING _BITE_ ME YOU PSYCHO!"

"…stop?" Hinata finished lamely.

Amidst their bickering, vulgar language and snack worthy theatrics, Hinata became aware of a forbidding purple mist heading straight for them. The dusty fog dissipating beneath and the shouts of conflict sounding too far away to be normal.

Hinata tried to warn them about the oncoming mist, but bizarrely, once the wisps of florid fumes began slinking up and surrounding them; she felt elatedly scrummy and lost her voice. A high like any other. Was it some sort of poison gas? A psychedelic? She didn't give a whiff whatever it was. It was great! The scent of sweet buns and plum blossoms invaded her nose and clogged her ears with cotton, and the black pulling at the corners of her vision hardly distressing as she got drunk off the strange, tingling sensations. Hinata swayed on her feet, adoring the strange, stimulating imagery assaulting her eyes.

Rapidly, the sight of Sasuke and Kiba brawling and rolling blurred and they transformed into cute little kitties having a bout and being all fluffy about it. She giggled.

So warm and colourful, so vaguely pleasurably, she wanted to go and lie down and let her responsibilities drift off into flight and stuff her face in with sweets that she began to crave with such fervour it was bordering on uneasy. She felt astoundingly apathetic to anything else. They were on a mission? Who cared about that anymore! There was dangerous weapons flying about? It's good to exercise your skills! And sweets! _Sweets_! Where were the sweets!? She wanted to close her eyes and embrace this feeling with all her heart, exposure to potential life-threatening injury be damned.

Sasuke's distressed call was the last thing she heard before she blacked out, not knowing if any arms reached to catch her.

Not that she would have cared if they had.

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere, the eldest son of Fugaku Uchiha was laying low due to his mishandling of what was now being dubbed as one of the worst 'affronts to a Hyuuga head in generations'. His mother was beyond miffed with what she called, 'an attempt to tarnish my sweet boy's reputation!' and Shisui was distrustfully concerned about 'his safety and integrity', cooing like a stray cat into his ear about how 'he should thank him' for being such a thoughtful cousin by fending off the hounds snapping at his feet.

Itachi avoided his father and mother. Fugaku was a man easily tempered and his wrath knew no bounds. He'd tie him into a steel chair, fortify seals into the binds and chuck him into a room with his mother if he got a hold of him. And his mother was a _hazard_.

Alas, this was child's play. He was leagues beyond his father's reach and his mother didn't know where to look for him since she lacked the imagination.

He was in the best place to go into hiding. Right under their nose. And he would stay there, just until he was given a mission.

 _And_ as a precautionary measure, he kept well away from his no good, hippity hoppity, defect cousin. Itachi knew better than to allow Shisui to get close enough to sink his claws into him and promote the gossip that was sure to spread over the country before the week was over.

Now everybody liked to think he was some expressionless hard ass, which brought an innumerable amount of distaste to his mouth, but they were dead wrong, because he had a jar of feelings. First, it wasn't his fault that he was ordained the apathetic expression to his face shortly after exiting his mother's womb, that was her and his father's fault for their messed up genetics. He was not a sociopath and he wasn't the bogey man parents told stories about to their kids, he just didn't like kids all that much. Secondly, Hyuuga Hiashi had lied and that didn't sit well at the bottom of his stomach.

And what did one do when dealing with a upset stomach? They used whatever measures to soothe it.

….The point was he had emotions. He was just really bad at expressing them. And his particular indiscretions towards the Hyuuga head were... _regrettable_. But his parents wouldn't see light for such a reason and so, he stayed away from them.

Thus, he was now lying down in the company of several of his grandmothers enjoying their customary tea time (he wondered if they laced the tea with alcohol, with their tittering and chuckling filling up the room like hens cawing and cackling). They usually congregated across multiple households and they paid no mind to him butting in, in fact, they more or less invited him in to join them. At first, he was suspicious and thought they would rat him out- fortunately it seemed they had some sort of grudge or the other against his father and dobbing on him would go against their vindictive streaks.

Itachi sighed as the women around him chuckled amongst themselves. There was a cat on his belly, an ugly beast with a sharp scar across its eye and an ear missing, which he was idly scratching behind the remaining ear, the loud purrs lulling him into a comforting doze.

He could only wonder what his little brother was up to at this time, if his mission had gone disastrously wrong or miraculously right. Ever since that Hyuuga girl came into the picture, peculiar things had been happening with his brother, and not notably good ones. She was like a bad luck charm. A cute little bad luck charm with moons for eyes.

As the last vestiges of consciousness flickered out, Itachi groaned softly, not for the first time, regretting his interference with the situation and provoking the wrath of both clans.

* * *

 **Daaaawwwww, you guys with your endearing responses. Daaaaawwwwww. Give me more. Mwa.**


End file.
